


It's a Magical Place

by shorty_j



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: AU, F/M, Hate to Love, Idiots in Love, Quote: Tahiti is a Magical Place, Slow Burn, Weddings, and still as stubborn as ever, in a place they hate, like being stuck together, may is a cop, nothing connects people, oh yes they are going to meet at the wedding, wedding au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:07:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26083915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shorty_j/pseuds/shorty_j
Summary: Sometimes you just end up in a place you hate. Sometimes it's part of a bet. Sometimes you do it for someone you love. Doesn't change the fact you hate it. Well...at least you are stuck with someone who hates this as much as you, even if you hate each other. Or do you?a.k.a weddings suck, as does being an older sibling...
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Jemma Simmons, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	1. #1 Queen's Gambit

**Author's Note:**

> To be completely honest, who knows how this is gonna turn out. The idea came to me after I was getting ready for a party that I didn't really want to on and watching 'Destination Wedding' a few months back. I toyed with the idea for a while and here we are.  
> I will post as I write, so how long this is gonna take - no idea :). the only thing I do know is that those 2 are in for a ride.  
> I honestly hope you will like reading this as much as I enjoy writing it:)  
> also, my first language in not English and I have no beta, so if there are any mistakes those are 100% on me, feel free to please point out anything that is off  
> Enjoy:)

„......You have reached S.H.I.E.D tech. the number you have called is currently unavailable, please, leave the message after the tone....“

„Philip this is your mother calling for the seventy eight time in the last three days to talk about The trip….you’re gonna have to pick up eventually I advise it be before poor Jemma runs out of pain meds, I really wouldn’t want any member of this family to be the reason of any more mental breakdowns. God knows that girl has enough problems in her love life….seeing that she did not pick up the phone for you yet I know that you are listening…so press the damn button already.”

If Phil Coulson learned anything in his relatively experienced life it was that Peggy Carter could never be ignored for long. 

“…I’m here, the phone is as usual on the ground, I’m sort of….not.” He put the telephone headset in the crook of his neck as she continued to talk. 

“Are you still working on that project? You are going to break your neck one day while working on that thing, and make your fathers greatest wish finally come true, to have me burned at the stake for, in every way possible killing the Coulson men, like a true witch.”

“ It’s truly heart-warming to see that you two are getting along better every time I hear from you, who knows maybe one day you would both be able to get in a safe 3 feet distance without spare deer hunting bullets in your coat pockets.”

“Now where would the fun be in that? This is what keeps us both in shape darling, both mentally and physically. What better thing to do on a quiet evening when you are out of unsolved crosswords, then to plan your ex spouses murder? Warm cup of chamomile tea, honey sweetened of course, included.”

“Can’t wait to hear about the brand new ‘How to elegantly and efficiently dig a grave’ theory from dad....yes that's just the spot, a little bit to the left Robbie, It could work with a slightly more power increase, but we're gonna have to test that...maybe a bit wider angle..“

„Anyhow darling, that's not why I called you as you know, no matter how long you deflect...“

„Nothing gets by you does it mother?“

„You will have to show up there, it's your brothers wedding...“

„Half-brothers...“, if it didn't already he could definitely feel his previous good mood sink, as he got off the ladder.

„Pesky detail...“

„You will be expected there as a notable guest on the grooms side, it's not like there is nine of you so lets just forget about the odd one...“

„Well that's really nice of you to say.“

„Just suck it up for a few hours Philip, skip the trivial, be nice, smile when nothing is funny but everyone else is laughing and then when everything is done use the remaining time to forget what you had to do...it's Tahiti, people come to places like that to get brain-washed from previous stressed situations.“

“So I go in there like a good little soldier, roll with all the nonsense, because otherwise the other side will notice the not so small lack of close family members on the groom's side, and that would ruin the overall impression that Tony is going to sell to his future in-laws.”

“Do you really have to look at the world so black and white all the time?”

“Well it’s hard not to when you make it sound like that.”

“You know as well as I do that it’s about time for your brother to settle down, this girl will, if my evaluation is correct, help us achieve that. She’s by what I’ve seen the past year and a half, an ideal material to make a good spouse. I’ve had to push through a disaster of getting to Tony’s thick skull and getting him to realize why it is important to do this until it’s too late and he ruins his career and name by making few more scandals. I don’t know how much more his already shaken up public image can take. And don’t make me remind me how closely tied we all, especially you, are to him…”

“Do I need to view this as spontaneous threat?”

“Not at all, but as I said, should he fall, he will not fall alone. This is by far the easiest way to ensure that at least that part of gossip is closed for a time. Over time, if he already hasn’t, I’m sure Howard will introduce him to a whole network of keeping the marital problems and secrets secret, after all to a naked eye _he_ was quite excel at it. If the price for getting him married is putting a little week long performance, so be it.”

“Thank god you were never interested in politics or offered a place in Secret Service, who knows what the world would look like with you using it as your playground…”

“If someone told me I would have to spend this much energy on reasoning with my thought to be reasonable son….”

“Well if you didn’t constantly use people as pawns in your never ending game of chess, that would no doubt make your life easier.”

“You know I would never do anything harmful…”

“Yes I know I know, but isn’t it sometimes simply easier to just hold all the cards open and be honest. I mean, what you are essentially doing here is just prolonging unavoidable moment when someone is bound to get hurt. I mean it _is_ possible that it won’t happen, but given that it all revolves around how ready Tony is to go into that marriage with clean conscience and intention to be honest at all times, it’s almost inevitable that this will end with some grand disaster.”

“Non of us approve his way of life Phil, but let’s hope just this once that _you are_ wrong.”

“Alright…I’ll do it.”

“Yes?”

“Yea…but on one condition, after this is all over you will not use me for your little mind games of lies anymore and you will not under any circumstances get involved into _my_ personal life. Deal?”

“The last time you said something like that you and Nicholas ended up in the middle of no where, driving the old Corvette into the sunset because 'the world was ending and aliens are going to payyyy'. What am I supposed to do if some day Thelma and Louise decide to the same“.

„First of all...her name is Lola, second we were _nineteen and drunk MOM,_ and third....stay out of it Agent Carter...so do we have a deal?“

“That is technically two conditions, but….yes….deal.”

“Good.”

With that Phil pressed the button on the telephone, ending the call. He really couldn’t listen to his mother’s voice anymore. The migraine was definitely not going to bypass him today. He checked his watch while heading to his office on the fifth floor. 9:52 am. What a wonderful morning. The elevator was thankfully not crowded; he could even see the small mirror on the side wall. His hair was definitely starting to thin out as has his fathers after getting into his middle and late forties.

The air conditioning was turned on bringing the temperature to a pleasant 22°C (72°F). He however was not alone in the office as he could see.

“No no no, don’t die please don’t die, not again….”

“Jemma?”

“Ser. I have no idea why it keeps happening. It seems that everything we tried so far resulted in a failure. It’s a true miracle that he has come this far.” The young woman was pacing up and down while checking the same note chart used to document the progress on their mutual little project, still in progress.

“So far everything on the list has proven to be useless except playing the….Nirvana’s _In Utero_ album from approximately 5 feet and pouring exactly two tea spoons of Extra hot venti triple-shot skinny latte macchiato on Thursdays….”

As complicated and illogical this was to both of them, he couldn’t deny that it sparked creativity and was very amusing.

“So…what that means Jemma is that apparently our Benjamin ficus tree is…almost bald, depressed, addicted to coffee and would like a trip to Seattle for his next holiday. Magnificent. C’mon photosynthesis….” Maybe he could somehow convince Jemma and Robbie to smug the plant onto his place in the airplane before takeoff and solve his problem?

“So…I take it your day is going well so far sir...?”

“My brother is getting married, and I got an invitation.”

“That’s great sir, wish him all the best from me, shall I reserve you a flight? Is it a plus one arrangement? Do you have anyone in mind? Should I make any calls? Where’s the wedding? You must be so excited....Sir?”

He just sat on his desk looking at the small tree at the corner of his office, half listening to her as she babbled, so excited about all the big and small trivial things that were usually included in attending the big celebrations such as weddings. He didn’t have the heart to stop her. The British was usually the first one to bring the smile to his face in the morning with her goodhearted chatting, that sometimes include talking to him or just to herself, so excited about all the tasks and assignments of her job. Always managing to find something interesting in everything she did. Always happy and ready to help him when she could, which in turn made him get started in his work easier. He was very lucky to have her as his secretary, capable and trust worthy woman, that he knew had a great future.

He still remembered their first meeting, and the naïve, fresh out of college, very shy, new to America, but eager to learn girl that stood before his office. He was sure, despite what others said at the time, that she would fit in like a cloud in the sky. Three years later here she still was, truthfully the best secretary he ever had. Now experienced in her job, together they worked like a well oiled machine. She still kept part of her shyness, but that was as he came to learn part of her charm. Girl’s only flaw was that she couldn’t seem to find a young man that would not only follow but be completely in sync with her tempo. Maybe he should give her few days off when he gets back?

“No, this one is a solo trip. My brother, as usually makes it awkward when you bring someone, so it’s possible that’s why it says here, that you can but are not obligated to bring anyone, mother no doubt convinced him it was better to go this way and not make anyone uncomfortable, just call in to add your plus one no later than two days after receiving the invitation. Tough luck I forgot to open it until today.”

He really hoped she wouldn’t notice anything. He knew that she wasn’t really the type to look for anything out of ordinary in his behavior in situations like this, probably because he didn’t like long business and crowded private trips in the first place, but if she did she probably would not bring it up in all of her politeness.

Thankfully this seemed to bring an entirely different idea to her mind.

“I think he’s trying to set you up sir”, she was smiling at him at first and then let out a small laugh when he couldn’t understand.

“He probably knew lots of people were going to do this so he made it a large wedding on a remote location where people are surely going to be relaxed, prone to more open conversations with other people. It’s an ideal way to find someone who has similar interests to yours. Recent studies show that a good number of 25% of relationships where people involved are in the age group between 25 and 50 start by meeting in an environment that is not the one that is typical for them, or in places that they came to for the first time. In both situations such turn of event stimulates said individuals to reach out to the other if possible afterwards so that they could reconnect and exchange thoughts and impressions about the shared experience, therefore establishing a connection which can later lead to a mutual need to talk and deepen said connection by bringing topics not related to said event, in turn establishing even deeper bond between that can lead to, depending on how said individual view each other, deep friendship, partnership or even romantic relationship. See?”

That girl really needed to establish some kind of deep relationship with someone he decided. It really wouldn’t do to have her devote so much time on thinking about his private life. He felt like he was in some way depriving her of her own life experiences. She was young for God sake how hard could it be to find someone nice to go out with at that age. Sure he didn’t have much luck, but time changed quite a bit. It wasn’t right that she missed out on so much.

“Jemma when you say it like that it does sound nice. There is just one little problem. My brother is not really interested in statistics much less human relations. And, are you sure that study is for our country? The only deeply established relationship I see coming from this is between me and the Sun, that I hope, won’t result in burns of any kind. And to be honest I’m not sure I’m really interested romance, it’s simply not my field of expertise.”

“I’m sure you find someone right Sir, if you just opened up a bit more to others. Look at it this way. Since I’ve known you, you have always beaten the odds, taken projects that others said were impossible to work out. Proven them wrong. You don’t believe that this is true? Well then prove me your claim, go there and be open to new experience, and don’t shut yourself out, and if you are right I promise I will stop pestering you around and digging through your love life. I’ll let you do whatever you want. Deal?”

“Alright…. but, while I’m not here, I want you to the same, really take time off work and go out yourself. Really go out and hang out with people of your own age for a change. Have some fun. Do something crazy. Beat the odds yourself.”

He really hoped that the she will take his advice seriously, even if he didn’t have much fate in his part of the bargain.

“So…do we have a deal Ser?”, he right was extended, determinated look on her face like she was just about to close some very important business contract, but he could also see as notion an excited smile.

He took her hand shaking it slowly, looking her in the eyes with same determinated look and hidden smile, deciding to keep an open mind about this after all, who knew? Maybe?

“Yes Jemma, we have a deal”.


	2. 22 year old car thief wannabe cop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "In my culture, death is not the end, it's more of a stepping off point. You reach out with both hands and Bast and Sekhmet, they lead you into a green veld where....you can run forever"  
> \- King T'Challa aka Black Panther....Rest in Piece Chadwick Boseman may you run free forever  
> \---------------  
> Thank you SO SO MUCH to all of you who gave it a shot and read the first chapter of this story and to those who took the time to leave the comment and even press that kudos button thank you so much it really means a lot....  
> ......this chapter came out a little bit longer because as it turns out my brain apparently works like your aunts closet, you open it and who knows what might come out, so all the silly ideas and dialogues simply fell out, I hope I didn't mess up the characters to much and that you will enjoy :)

„NYPD freeze, turn off and exit the vehicle and put your hands behind your head.....I REPEAT PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD.“

Inspector Maria Hill kept repeating, her voice directed into a megaphone, as the clear order was heard from the small police car that was still running. Hill gripped the handle harder and cleared her throat, ready to repeat the order one more time, while holding the safety belt tightly with the other one. Ready to unhook it and jump out of the car if needed in a matter of seconds.

„God damn it Hill, would you mind keeping your voice down a little, I feel like my head is going to explode...“

Officer Natasha Romanov yelled as she turned off the rotation light and took a swift turn to the right, managing to keep up with an SUV that they were currently chasing after. If she could keep up just a bit more, they could get to the next turn before the refugee and make it turn left into the street where the station was. Maybe even park it nicely, without a scratch on. Unless....

„Блядь! Сука!....“

„You gotta be kidding me....this is Inspector Hill to all units, do not engage, I repeat do not engage.....we have an 084...again...“

The SUV was turning right into the street that the two wanted it to, but instead of stopping in a sudden halt, it slowed down, got into a parking lot and parked right next to the other vehicles, leaving no doubt about who was behind the wheel.

Instead the the smaller car took the said halt, stopping abruptly with an angry scratch of tires. 

„And don't forget to actually roll the window up this time, I don't want to discover any more wild life visits here.“

„Well maybe if you for once actually remembered that a glove compartment is not a trash can Tasha, and took the leftover chicken wings with you, we wouldn't have this problem in the first place.“

„Why the fuck do you care so much about how and where I eat my food?!“

„I do when it's my car you are eating in.“, the window rolled up with a sharp click.

„Our car!“, the Russian could feel her temper get the best of her.

„Yes, well if Captain or Commander during her next visit by some chance sees the state it's in right now, the next one is going to have leather seats made from our ripped hides!“

Officer was the first one to get to the door jerking it open to pull out the driver that was patiently waiting for them, big smile on her face. Like she didn't just commit a law violation of some kind.

„Hay guys...what' up?“

The Russian grabbed the hood of the girl’s jacket, turning her face first into the car, while she pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Her hands slightly trembling from ire as she put them onto the girl’s wrists.

„Ohhh cuffs...nice! Rough day huh?“ The girl still had a wide smile on her face like this was the best day of her life, and she was just about to burst into a giggle.

„Honestly kid? Why do you keep making it hard on yourself, are you trying to set a record or something?“ The taller woman was walking slowly next to the pair, regaining her ever present composure, just slightly faster the usual as her partner was obviously not in the mood for an easy stroll to the cell.

„Nope. You know very well what I want Miss Hill.“

„I know, and we both know that this is not the right way to get it.“

„No, this is a more fun way.“

„You think that doing this is a joke to us? Is that what this is ?? Do you think we have nothing more important to do then chase a high-school wannabe all day long??? Well let me tall you, you little....“

„Romanov!“

The redhead turned suddenly, even tho the last thing she wanted was to talk with the person that just called her.

„Ward....“, she gritted through her teeth, still holding the girl to the side.

The man was slowly walking towards them, looking directly at the redheaded officer, kind but determined look on his face.

„You are needed at 101......I'm sure inspector Hill can take care of Skye...“. the older officer made a gesture, showing her to follow him, but she still stayed in the same place not moving an inch, not even blinking. Working slowly on her breathing, until it got back to normal. It wouldn't do to come to the station raging like she just had. The others might start to question who it really was that needed to be taken in.

„You know that I don't have to follow your orders right?“

„Well lucky me that those are not my orders then, shall we?“

The Russian cast one last stern look to the girl before handing her over to her partner, and following the man.

„This the new one huh? For the record...I like her, she seems tough.“

„I'm sure there is a lot more you will have to say for the record, that is after we find out what’s this about 101“.

„You are not taking me in?“

„What would be the point? You've been here enough times that I know there is nothing you could do to get here deeper that you already have. I mean isn't this exactly what you wanted? To observe?“ Hill said as she unlocked and took off the girls handcuffs.

„You bet!“

This really was turning out to be one of the best days in her life.

* * *

„Do you think we should call her?“

„Maybe, is there any other way?“

„You think she would leave us any other way, then the one she wanted?“

„Not really, no.“

„If I have to look up for one more second, I will probably throw up.“

„It does look a little bit shaky“

„Do we have a phone in here Ward?“

„This is not the place to usually need one.“

„She really got us...on a guilty card?“

„Didn't she say to always use all the assets you can find? Shuffle the whole deck.“

„Never figured you for a nerd Ward.“

„Never though I would be in situation to be used for it like this.“

„Yea, me neither. C'mon May, get down here....NOW!“

It wasn't every day that Natalia Alianova Romanova was so urgently called into their stations gym. The last time as an order on the early beginning of her career some 8 years ago as a part of mandatory exercises that all new troopers had to have for at least a year before it stuck to them and after that they would do it on their own, as a part of already established routine in their work place. That way, then Inspector and now Captain Melinda Qiaolian May put them on a test of sort, making sure they were _really_ able to go through anything that this job could throw their way. Of course it was never possible to predict everything that could happen in their line of work, but it made the ties between co-workers stronger as they often had to work with each other to achieve a set goal, building a sturdy foundation built on trust. That way she was sure that she could without a doubt trust most of her colleagues when situations got tough, but also be fully familiar with each of their abilities.

Now, what was it that Grant Ward needed her help with.

The answer presented itself almost as soon as she entered the room.

High above their heads, some 20 feet (6.09m) up in the air from one to the other end on the gym there was a rope. Not the kind that sailors used, but a much thinner flattened one, attached to the iron hooks on both sides that neither agent could remember have ever been used.

And on the middle of it, still as a statue, sat a woman. Tiny little Asian woman. Captain of the station. Melinda May.

“So, you say she’s been sitting like this…since you got here?”

“Half an hour ago, yes.”

“And she has not moved…at all?”

“How do you think she would do that? There isn’t really much space up there for her to move Romanov.”

“No…there’s no space for _us_ to move…her on the other hand, she had to get up there somehow…”

“Logically.”

“Meaning…as I don’t see any Jumping Jack shoes, she had to walk on that rope…20 freaking feet in the air…to do what…meditate?”

“No, I think that’s a tai chi pose.”

“Same difference and she left only this?”

On a bench next to them, stuck between wood planks was a white envelope. As she took it, Natasha could feel the smooth surface under her fingers, guessing it wasn’t made of every day cheap copy paper. No, this was much more refined. Written on it’s front in neat handwriting and bald letters was one name.

Barbara.

Russian grabbed the taller man by his sleeve pushing him into the hallway. It was currently empty with all the other officers working on their assignments or being in the field.

“So is this like a letter from Bobbi? Or to Bobbi from her? Or from someone else entirely?”

“How am I supposed to know that Romanov? What, do you think I would read May’s private mail?”

“Боже мой! She’s literally hanging up there, possibly thinking about trying her luck for the day and jumping, and you are just standing here playing Mary Sue.”

“Alright…..let’s open it together then.”

Natasha turned the envelope in her hands, looking at it a bit more. Should she tare it open, cut through it nicely, peal of the top?

“Stop staring at me.”

“Just take a deep breath and count to ten…”

How was he managing to stay so calm? Looking from the outside, she too kept an appearance of absolute calmness that did not match any of her feeling on the inside. Her body falsely relaxed, breathing even but muscles still tense. He on the other hand seemed genuinely calm and relaxed inside and out. Wearing small polite smile, he kept his distance. Close enough to provide any help she may need or keep her out of harm’s way if circumstances were different, far enough to give her space. Perfect model of what May thought them all. If this were one of her more vulnerable moments, she would have taken the time to think about it. What was she doing wrong? Did she miss anything? It was not possible that he was better at this simple thing. Maybe he was?

_No…no..back off Romanov. That’s not the way to be thinking right now._

She peeled off the top slowly and pulled the piece of paper out, returning it quickly after reading the first few lines.

“She’s…. getting married ?”

“May?”

“Looks like it…it says here…the wedding is in….three days.”

“Who’s getting married???”

Both officers turned, startled from the sound coming from the end of the hallway. Skye was walking towards them. She was holding what looked like a peanut butter jar in one hand and dipping lollipop into it with the other.

“What are you doing here? You should be down there locked in a cell, not causing more damage.”

“I broke out off it already, so I guess Inspector Hill over there wanted to save the money on changing the locks again. And I haven’t eaten anything in like 17 hours so?”

“What better way to keep the kid behaving then to give them candy”, Romanov rolled her eyes.

“For the record I’m twenty two, so legally capable of doing whatever I want, and right now that’s cleaning the wending machine from leftovers. So your boss is getting hitched huh?”

“Apparently…”

“And she’s stuck herself up in the gym with an invitation for her sister? Not really the best way to deliver it.”

“Maybe she didn’t want it to get lost in the mail.”

“Or maybe she…you know”, Skye looked at Ward sideways tilting her head downwards.

“What?”

“Got cold feet, it happens to the best of us, maybe the guy is a secret jerk. Or he leaves toilet paper hanging closer to the wall, or wears socks over his house slippers, or never sleeps naked, oh dyes his dog’s fur in purple…”

“Yea…I’m pretty sure that’s just sugar rush talking.”

“And what if I’m right and you are wrong and she really left that invitation un-sent so that her sister would come and talk her out of it huh? How well do you even know her?”

The two officers looked at each other. Sure they both knew May. She was their mentor and co-worker for 8lyears and more. She didn’t talk often, or open up very much but…

“No, that’s not something she would ever do. She’s so wrapped up in planning everything ten steps ahead to decide about this on a whim. Beside she was married once before, jumping head first into that again. Нет. Not her style.”

“So….she’s getting married for the second time, none of you knew about it, and she’s usually not the one to make rush decisions……hmmmm….maybe she’s knocked up.”

“Excuse us?”

“Think about it officer. It makes perfect sense. Girl gets knocked up. Guy is threatened by the girl’s family to get his balls chopped off unless they get wed. So they organize a secret wedding ASAP and after that live happily ever after. Might be a little bit fifteen hundreds style but it does the job, or maybe you have a better explanation?”

“My head hurts”, Ward said sitting on the bench, his back pressed against the wall, “so how do we get her out?”

“Well since our bride to be is seemingly not too happy about the whole arrangement, the first step is to get her down, and then we’ll go from there. So…You handsome are gonna get me the ladder, you two will hold them, I will climb up and convince her to get down to talk to us. The rest I don’t have planned. Alright?”

Two officers looked at each other.

God help them if they were following twenty two car thief wannabe cop girl’s plan.

* * *

Maria Hill could never understand Barbara Morse-May. She was the Captain’s younger adopted sister. Contradiction personified, May’s polar opposite.

Where May was thought to be the perfect mild mannered model child, Barbara (or Bobbi as she was often called) was a rebel wild child.

May had a thing for hooking up with boyfriends with similar interests, Bobbi kept looking for adventure in guys that did not match her exact personality traits (“Why not have a little fun and experiment, how else are you going to find the right one?”).

May strived to follow the rules (as long as they did not cross with personal beliefs), Bobbi enjoyed breaking them.

That was not to say their personalities did not go other way around from time to time.

May, when she deemed it right broke rules (“It’s just something with her gut telling her it’s the right thing to do…”, Bobbi would say).

Bobbi, however unimaginable it may sound had a strict code of a few secret rules that she followed no matter what (“Gotta know the ground rules to break the others…”).

And somehow, despite their extremely different ways of life they always managed to find middle ground.

Bobbie, surprising everyone in the process, became a lawyer (“Turns out all you need is a rule-breaker to make this job work the best…”).

May enrolled into a Police Academy and proved to be impeccable in her job as the paragon of law and order, and later teaching younger people to do the same, or at least that’s the impression that everyone around her had (“It’s really impressive how much fun it is to break the simple rules, with the unspoken permission from the HQ, while working on catching the people for exactly that. No one on the outside ever notices a thing…”).

They trusted each other the most. Worked with each other the best. And their fights were absolutely the worst.

That’s why when she saw Bobbi park in front of the station, walking in the fast pace to her, she wasn’t sure what to expect. This certainly wasn’t how she imagined her break would go, after she just sent Skye to get something to eat. She wasn’t a monster after all.

“Inspector Hill.”

“Miss Morse.”

“Is my sister here?”

“Hasn’t left the Station the whole morning, from what I know.”

“Good.”

Was it ‘tho? Judging by the blondes continued no non-sense expression but considerably slower pace the matter was probably not work related. Personal stuff then? This was getting better by the minute.

“On the scale from punching the hell out of a boxing bag to locking herself in the room for hours, 1 to 10 how bad is this?”

“If the over the top need for secrecy of some officers is anything to judge by, I think the correct answer would be 11,5.

“Damn it Mel.”

They were moving through station quickly, Morse deep in her musing, Hill looking for anyone who could tell them where her partner and Ward went.

“Daniels, have you seen officers Romanov or Ward?”

“Next to the 101 I think miss…ma’am…Inspector”, the young man was looking at her, straightening his posture and tucking handkerchief into his pocket, trying not to seem nervous, but looking like a deer in the headlights. _You’ve got long way to go kid._

101 or the gym as the plate on the door read was a large room on the top floor, usually the noisiest room in the station, with shooting range being soundproof. Now was not the time when officers or troopers had their usual morning exercise Hill knew, neither was time for the evening one, so when they came to the door and heard noise of several voices inside there was no doubt what was happening.

“She didn’t lock herself up, let’s hope this makes it easier for us.”

“Like you actually believe that Hill.”

“I don’t, but those kids inside….”

“Poor un-fortunate souls…….whenever you are ready Hill…”

* * *

“A little bit up hotshot…one…two…three”

“Kid, if you wanted to visit the morgue you could have just told me, I will gladly take you, no need to take drastic measures.”

But Skye didn’t listen to her of course, continuing to climb until she was just a little bit lower than the woman she was trying to reach.

“Hey, I’m Skye but you must have heard that from all the screaming…you must me May…or Captain, don’t really know what you prefer. Boy that’s some mad skill. How do you do that?”

Young woman climbed the last few steps, coming to stand eye to eye with the woman.

“Skye what are you doing you are gonna fall, you can’t let go, do you hear me Skye!”

“Keep the front end upright Ward and she might not fall while actually standing _on_ the ladder..”

She could hear the two officers still arguing.

She slowly tuned while still standing, coming to seat on the flat rope.

“Hold on to the ladder…….keep your back straight and don’t pull your knees together……try to keep them apart and balance your weight…..don’t let go.”

That was the first time heard the woman talk since she first saw her. Her voice was…not really quiet but not really loud, flat but very smooth…eyes closed…concentrated…

“You know I was in my high school gymnastics team for ‘bout a year…we would do all sorts of stuff, twist, turn, jump around, work on balance, sometimes we would ever turn on the music so it felt like ballet. I never liked the ‘walk in straight like keep your balance’ kind of exercise tho. Made me feel shaky later on the ground so I figured it wasn’t for me, that and the leotards were really itchy…which is weird cuz they were not supposed to be. I mean why would you ever need one…you aren’t wearing it now and it seems to me you are doing pretty great.”

The woman just turned a little bit giving a side glance, but staying silent. Not that she needed to say anything Skye thought. She was sure from that one glance that even if she didn’t look at her or respond May _was_ in fact listening to her carefully.

Was it okay that she was talking? She remembered from some article she read online that the best way to prevent someone from jumping and committing suicide was to get to them through talk. But what if the person you are trying to get to is not responding? Was that good? Bad? Skye couldn’t remember. But May did look at her right? So, that had to be good. 

“You do this often? Hang around? It’s kinda nice…up here…quiet, peaceful, I assume you like that right? There is even a nice view…”

It really was a nice view from up there and through the high window that looked on to the skyline of the city. Looking again at May, she could see that a woman has not moved an inch, except for occasionally opening her eyes for a bit when taking a breath. She didn’t really look like a woman who was thinking about jumping.

“Heard you like tai chi? From those two down there. There is thing I read about recently…extreme ironing…I think..yea. So basically the whole point is that you go to some crazy place…like…go to the Alps and snowboard down…or jump out of an airplane…or go surfing…but at the same time bring the ironing board and iron with you and then iron a shirt and fold it, so that when your ride is done you have a perfectly ironed shirt. Really handy for changing your wet or ruined clothes. Maybe you could try that you know. Not the ironing part ‘tho, but like….extreme tai chi…or maybe that’s already a thing I don’t know.”

 _Or maybe you should you could just shut up_ the voice in her head was saying. Captain probably thought she was crazy by now anyway.

“You don’t have to do it you know…who cares about wedding anyway…”

At that May turned head sharply looking Skye directly into the eyes.

“Oh…don’t worry I didn’t read you mail, and I’m pretty sure officer Romanov over there just peaked a little bit. I mean the world won’t end if you don’t do it…my parents for example, they never married, I mean not that I knew them, but as I’m here it’s 100% proven that I have them…or had them…but like I said since I don’t actually know them it’s like they were never married right? And here I am, ten fingers ten toes, big mouth, little bit short and sitting with you. My point is….you don’t need to get married to anyone to have a baby, I’m sure everybody here would be happy to help, I can even come by if you would like….”

“What….”, the other woman was now looking at her, more like staring, her expression puzzling, mouth half open….

“ALRIGHT KIDS, playtime is OVER”, the gym door suddenly opened, one Maria Hill and Barbara Morse stepped in, with Hill’s sharp tone coming loud and clear over the previous noises, stopping everyone in their actions.

“Pack your bags and get to the changing room, P.E. class is over…”, to their surprise it was Bobbi who marched first to the ladder, still in her pantsuit and fancy leather shoes.”

“C’mon Melinda come down, so we can talk this through. You know I would never force you to do anything. You are my sister and that’s why I wanted it to be you…”

Natasha and Ward just kept on holding the stairs, not sure what to day. Should they get involved? They couldn’t just go with Skye still up on the rope.

“She clearly doesn’t want go to that wedding Miss, you are wasting your time…”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Skye, it’s…nice to meet you?...miss?

“Bobbi, Bobbi Morse”

“Well Bobbi, as I said she doesn’t wanna go so I suggest you either find another solution or back off, your sister is not very talkative and I can’t predict what she might do.”

“Skye, can’t I leave you alone for even ten minutes without you getting into something you are not supposed to?”

“Heyoo Inspector, crazy day huh?”

“Looks like that, now get down so that Bobbi and Captain can talk….”

“Not until she swears she’s not gonna do anything that might hurt the baby….”

“What baby?”

“Captain’s...now swear…”, young girl was looking down at the two woman, while moving a little bit closer to the woman beside her, just in case.

Suddenly all eyes were on her.

“Whoops have I said something I shouldn’t….again…”

“I’m not….”

“Mel is there anything I should know, that you did not tell me?”

“Captain…”

The room was getting crowded with voices, everyone speaking at once. No one could understand what the others were saying, nor speak in the cacophony.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

It was the second time Skye heard the Captain speak, first time raise her voice. Slightly. She didn’t need to raise her tone much for everyone to immediately stop what they were doing and turn to listen. Skye had to admit it was rather impressive.

And then she turned to her.

“Skye I’m not getting married, I’m not thinking about committing suicide and I am _not_ pregnant. You can let me go now.” And as she climbed up them, Skye turned back finally climbing down the ladder, Captain following her in tow.

“How did you even come up with all that?”, Hill asked when they were down.

“You didn’t read the latter Skye, so who did?”

Lowering the ladder, Natasha started to fumble with her front pocket. “I did”, she handed it over to the captain, not sure if she should add that she didn’t read it all, she respected her privacy.

“And you didn’t read whole either.”May turned from the officers opening the letter so that she, Bobbi and Hill could see what was written on the paper completely.

“Romanov…if you mean to tell me this whole thing happened because you didn’t read the, in this case, evidence completely……small letters…bold letters…Romanov, from now on…always read them”

“Yes Captain.”

Damn it…she slipped again, didn’t she. Great!

“…we invite you to the wedding of Anthony Tony Stark and Virginia Potts on Tahiti Nui in Faaa…because apparently that’s the name of the place…”, Inspector continued to read.

“So…what exactly is the problem here guys? If this is that guy Tony’s wedding, and not May’s why not just go and forget it all after…”

“Because if that’s _that Tony_ he’s definitely as crazy as May said…it’s Tony yes?”, Hill looked at May, the shorter woman nodding curtly.

“That Tony as in…..he’s your ex”, Skye said turning to look at Bobbi, “explains why it’s your name on the invitation and doesn’t why would he do that.”

“Because he’s a billionaire playboy having more for his wedding then he can swallow. You are probably filling in the place of some recently passed beloved great aunt so he wouldn’t have empty seats, and thought it could work to invite his ex, rich people are crazy like that”, Russian woman said as she looked over the invitation.

“But you for some reason can’t go so you sent the invitation to May so she would go instead. Question is…why?”, girl fixed the older woman with a look.

“I have a very important case going on.”

“Yea….nobody’s buying that, but no one here’s gonna judge for not wanting to meet with Mr. Playboy again, right Ward?”Skye turned to the officer standing in the corner of the room, busying himself with cleaning the workout gear before it was time for the class he was supposed to teach in 15 minutes.

“That leaves us with the next logical question…what is going on with you May. I mean why turn down the perfect completely free vacation because there’s just guy’s wedding thrown into the mix. I bet he’s not even gonna notice you two switched.”

“Do I look like a person that likes to go to weddings?”

“No…but if I know something it’s that no older sibling would wouldn’t like a second chance to punch her or his sister’s ex in the nose, right?”, Skye was looking at her with a big grin, “besides, you might bump into some handsome partner in crime there, who knows???”

God help her if she was listening to a twenty two year old car thief wannabe cop girl’s advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? :)  
> /side note: extreme ironing REALY is a hobby some people do/

**Author's Note:**

> thoughts:) ?


End file.
